John McCormick was born in 1949 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He has lived in California since 1971. He is a contemporary painter who combines elements of modernism with those of traditional paintings. His art, prints and posters demonstrate a deep involvement with the craft of painting, the alchemy of rendering form, and the modulation of tone and hue. His paintings, drawings, and collages, are not just a documentation of nature, but rather they are compositions that demonstrate a process of engagement, and a meditation on experience.
McCormick obtained his BFA from the University of the Pacific, and his teaching credential from San Francisco State University. Since 1978, McCormick has exhibited his fine art, prints and posters domestically and internationally. Additionally, McCormick has supported himself through a variety of art related experiences including teaching, mural painting, and he launched a company that specialized in scenic painting for films, video, television, and still photography. His scenic work has been used by HBO, MTV, Lucas Films, Apple computers, and many others. He has exhibited at a number of venues and his work is included in prestigious collections throughout the world.
He was the recent recipient of two artist residencies: a one-month residency at the Djerassi Foundation in Woodside and a two-week residency at the Morris Graves Foundation in Northern California. Recent commissions include a 9 ft. landscape painting for Sharon Heights Country Club in Menlo Park, CA and a series of landscape art, prints and posters for the film Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise.